This is a column by a pro player from the Shadowverse Worlds Beyond Pro League. This time, we bring you a column by Mill from DFM, looking back at the 1st expansion meta in Shadowverse WB.
Table of Contents
About this Article
Pro Player's Meta Column
This is a column by a pro player participating in the Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond Pro League. This time, we bring you a column looking back at the 1st expansion meta by Mill.
The Player Who Wrote This Article
| Mill's Profile | |
|---|---|
| Mill / Team: DFM X YouTube |
1st Expansion Meta Report by Mill
Early Meta
The Rise of Portalcraft
Shadowverse: WB, released around noon on June 16th, began with the rise of Portalcraft.
Artifact Portalcraft, which forms 'Ominous Artifact' by fusing the new Gear mechanic, quickly garnered attention for its novelty and the power of 'Orchis, Newfound Heart''s Super-Evolve.
Runecraft and Swordcraft Also Shine
Additionally, Runecraft Spellboost and Midrange Swordcraft also had a higher degree of pre-conceived list completion compared to other classes, and I felt that I saw a considerable number of them from the early stages of the meta.
▲ A Pre-conceived Runecraft Spellboost List
▲ The Swordcraft Deck Mill Actually Used for a Time
After a little time, a version of Runecraft Spellboost incorporating 'Witch's New Brew' and 'Ruler of Cocytus' was developed. This build, which could solve problems like improving consistency and the difficulty of dealing damage from outside the field after losing Super-Evolution, became the mainstream.
Havencraft Shifts to a Storm-focused Build
Havencraft, which had high pre-release ratings, gradually faded from the meta because a purely defensive build was at a major disadvantage against the Ruler of Cocytus version of Runecraft Spellboost. Instead, a Storm-focused Havencraft deck featuring 'Avian Statue' and 'Sacred Griffon' came into the spotlight.
Mid to Late Meta
The Rise of Killer Rhinoceroach Forestcraft
After a while, top players advanced their research on Forestcraft, and Killer Rhinoceroach Forestcraft rose to prominence in the meta.
The combo deck using 'Killer Rhinoceroach' excels at dealing massive damage in the late game turns, but its high play difficulty makes it hard to handle, likely becoming a deck many players aspired to master.
I feel that Killer Rhinoceroach Forestcraft was considered one of the strongest decks in the 1st expansion meta, a fitting deck to symbolize the rise of legends.
As Killer Rhinoceroach Forestcraft became popular, decks created to counter it were those that emphasized aggressive early-game plays, such as Face Dragoncraft and Aggro Swordcraft.
To exploit the weakness of Killer Rhinoceroach Forestcraft, its lack of Ward and healing abilities, the builds shifted to be more aggressive, replacing value cards like 'Garyu, Fabled Dragonkin' and 'Amalia, Luxsteel Paladin' with direct damage sources like 'Warrior of the Deep' and 'Kagemitsu, Enduring Warrior'.
Standing Changes in 2nd Expansion
In the 2nd expansion, Infinity Evolved, it's anticipated that Ward Havencraft, led by 'Wilbert, Desolate Paladin' and 'Aether, Empyrean Guardian', will rise to prominence, and it's expected that the current meta's strongest deck, Killer Rhinoceroach Forestcraft, will see a decline in numbers.
The next meta also seems like it will be a game where the meta keeps shifting, and I'm already eagerly awaiting the implementation of the new expansion.
Apollo Dominates Forestcraft Meta
Speaking of meta cards in this environment, it has to be 'Apollo, Heaven's Envoy'.
Initially, it was included as a meta counter to Swordcraft's wide boards, but as Forestcraft rose to prominence, Apollo started being played by every leader except Forestcraft, and I think Forestcraft players had a bitter experience.
About the Deck I Used
In the very beginning, I was drawn to the novelty of creating 'Masterwork Artifact Ω', so I played a lot of Artifact Portalcraft.
At the time, builds that minimized the Puppetry mechanic were mainstream, and the sight of many Artifacts lining up from 'Ralmia, Sonic Boom' was truly spectacular.
A few days passed, and the deck I'm still hooked on is the aforementioned Killer Rhinoceroach Forestcraft.
▲ The Pixie Forestcraft Deck Mill Has Been Using Recently
The characteristic of Forestcraft decks, generating value exceeding a card's cost by racking up the combo count, is very fun to play. The difficulty arising from the multitude of choices due to playing many cards also stimulated my pride as a competitive player and top pro.
I'm currently using a build like this, but I also have a strong attachment to 'Aria, Lady of the Woods' because I obtained the full-art version as my first spark trade.
Also, I'm not including it just because of my attachment; it's a card that works very effectively in the Forestcraft mirror match, which is popular in the current meta. It also has various roles in other matchups, such as supplementing Killer Rhinoceroach's damage and significantly reducing the cost of 'Bayle, Luxglaive Warrior', making it an indispensable card.
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